Page 25 - CC Life 13 2015 Spring
P. 25

Music Practicum with the Yinqi
Children’s Choir

Angela She
Music Major Junior

  The writer of Proverbs says, “Start children off on the    In addition to these skills, I learned how Ms.
way they should go, and even when they are old they        Lu chooses a piece of music for the children.
will not turn from it.” (NIV, Proverbs 22:6) The Yinqi     She chooses music according to the singers’
Children’s Choir is a group dedicated to following this    abilities. Since the vocal range of children is
advice. Their stated purpose is: “To teach a children’s    different from that of adults, Ms. Lu chooses
choir to sing professionally, to increase their knowledge  music that is appropriate for children. Ms. Lu
and skill of music, and to allow children to step into     also practices with the children who will be
a world of music and beauty. As children enjoy the         singing solos. Moreover, she helps the children
beauty of the music, they will experience the love of      understand the meaning of the lyrics so they
God, and the choir will become a high quality choir.”      come to know God better, and she has children
(Yinqi Children’s Choir Website http://www.yinqi.org/      take turns praying before they go home at the
Content.aspx?value=25)                                     end of each session. The aim of all this is that
                                                           the children will experience pleasure and joy
  I was blessed to do my practicum with the Yinqi          through the practice and performance of their
Children’s Choir. Ms. Lu, my choir teacher, made           music, whether they are presenting on the stage
me her assistant conductor. My duties involved             or living their daily lives.
taking attendance, helping children practice songs,
and overseeing small group activities. My experience         I look forward to using the skills I learned in
with the choir was very different from the music           my practicum with the Yinqi Children’s Choir,
classes I had taught to toddlers in a kindergarten. The    to bringing children to Jesus through teaching
teachers in the Yinqi Children’s Choir were qualified       music. Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will
professionals who prepared for each coaching and           answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to
teaching session in order to help the children achieve     the extent that you did it to one of these brothers
their best. These factors – professionalism and careful    of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to
preparation – are what I missed when I worked in the       Me.’”
kindergarten classes. Through this practicum, I gained
more confidence in coaching voice and in dividing
large pieces of music into small sections for practice.
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